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This is The World in Brief from the Economist.

Our top stories. The UN's agency for Palestinian refugees said it would run out of fuel in Gaza,

which it needs to power hospital equipment and provide drinking water in less than a day.

The agency says it is sheltering nearly 600,000 Palestinians in UN facilities across the enclave.

Meanwhile, Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, said that he is, quote,

shocked by misrepresentations of comments he made on Tuesday. Mr. Guterres had said that Hamas'

attack, which he condemned, quote, did not happen in a vacuum. Israel reacted furiously. It said it

would block UN employees from receiving visas, and the Israeli envoy to the UN called on him to

resign. In a prime time speech, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, said that the country

is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza, adding that, quote, all Hamas militants are doomed.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Israel has delayed its invasion in order for America to move

missile defenses into the region to protect its troops. On Sunday, Lloyd Austin, America's

Defense Secretary warned of the, quote, prospect of a significant escalation against American forces.

America's House of Representatives managed to elect a permanent speaker, Republican Mike Johnson

of Louisiana, after three chaotic weeks without one. All 220 Republicans present voted for the

staunchly conservative Mr. Johnson, a show of unity after a drawn-out civil war saw the party

nominate four candidates. One failed, thrice on the House floor, two dropped their bids before that

stage. Xi Jinping, China's president, held an unexpected meeting with Gavin Newsom,

...